03-19-06, 10:03 AM
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| EOG Consigliere'
Join Date: Aug 26, 2005 Location: Jawja
Posts: 62,859
| Jeff Francoeur impressive Saturday | News: Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-3 with a homer and five RBIs on Saturday in his first game since the World Baseball Classic, and Chipper Jones also returned to the lineup as Atlanta beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-6 in a split-squad game. Francoeur and Jones played for the U.S. team that was eliminated in the second round of the inaugural WBC, leaving a big hole in the Braves' spring training lineup while they were gone. They flew back to Florida on Friday and jumped right back on the field with their usual teammates. Francoeur hit an RBI single to left in the first, drove a two-run homer over the left-field wall in the third and dumped an inside pitch into center field to bring home two runs in the fourth, putting the Braves ahead 8-4. "I feel like my hands need to get a little quicker," Francoeur said. "But it's a good start, obviously, to get where I need to be." | Analysis: Francoeur finished his rookie season at .300 with 14 homers and 45 RBI. His 13 assists were second to Cliff Floyd's NL-leading 15. Ideally, Francoeur would enter his first full big league season following his first full major league spring camp. His spring at-bats will be reduced dramatically even if he starts for the U.S., but if he's a backup or part-time starter he'll have to catch up quickly at the end of spring training. "I don't need 50 at-bats. Talking with Bobby, I'll come back here and get 30 or 40 at-bats, and I think that will be plenty." In CBS SportsLine.com's NL-only experts 5x5 Rotisserie draft, Francoeur was selected in the fifth round (52nd overall). |  |
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